"Inferior Blood." Under

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Linda Lorraine Currey for the degree of Masterof Science in the Department of General Science presented on June 17, 1977. Title: The Oregon Eugenic Movement: Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair Abstract approved: Dr. 'Paul Farber, Department of General Science In 1906, applying Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories to the human race, Sir Francis Galton introduced the concept of eugenics, "the science of the improvement of the human race by better breeding."The rediscovery in 1900 of Mendel's laws of genetic inheritance and an upsurge in hereditarian thought set the stage for the eugenic movement in America.That movement was organized in 1906 when the American Breeders' Association formed a committee on eugenics to study the heredity of the human race and to evaluate the threat'to society of "inferior blood."Under the leadership of respected biologists, eugenic field workers, themselves amateur social reformers, collected family pedigrees hoping to find a pattern in theinheritance of human defects.These pedigrees, carelessly and inconsistently constructed, formed the basis of "scientific" evidence used by eugenists campaigning for human sterilization legislation. Eugenic reform becamea popular movement that by 1915 had attracted the interest andsupport of the "thinking" members of American society. A model eugenic sterilization law drafted by Henry Laughlinin 1914, proposed sterilization of 10 percent of the population,including the feebleminded, insane, criminal, epileptic,alcoholic, diseased, blind, deaf, deformed, and dependent. By 1931, thirty states had passed similar sterilization lawsand 12,145 sterilizations had been performed underauspices of those laws. Eugenic sterilization legislationwas codified into the General Laws of Oregon in 1920. The leading advocate for eugenic sterili zation legislation in Oregonwas that state's first woman doctor, Bethenia AngelinaOwens-Adair. She first introduced a sterilization bill into the Oregon legislaturein 1907 and reintroduced it in each legislativesession until its successful passage in 1917. Owens-Adairts interest in eugenic reform was an outgrowth of her educationand professional experience in medicine, coupledwith her active involvement in the campaigns for women's suffrageand prohibition. Her ten-year fight to includesterilization legislation in Oregon's laws resulted in theformation of the Oregon State Board of Eugenics, later named theOregon State Board of Social Protection. During the 68 years of this board's active operation, 2,648 Oregonianswere sterilized in the name of eugenics. The Oregon Eugenic Movement: Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair by Linda Lorraine Currey A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science June 1978 APPROVED: Associate Professor of the History of Science in charge of major Chairman Department of General Science Date thesis is presented June 17, 1977 Dedicated with love and appreciation to my parents who always accepted my collect phone calls August 1977 HUMAN STERILIZATION F DR. ' B. OWENSADAIR, Author ofThe Famous "HUMAN STERILIZATION" BILL of Oregon Table of Contents I. Introduction....... .............1 II. The American Eugenic Movement 1900 - 1930 . 4 III. Pioneer Advocate of Eugenics in Oregon: Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair . 142 IV. Owens-Adair in Relation to 19th Century Social History A. Women's Suffrage............... 47 B. Women in Medicine...............69 C. Temperance and Prohibition . 86 V. Medicine andEugenics:Owens-Adair's Oregon Eugenic Sterilization Campaign . 105 VI. Conclusion................... 139 Bibliography....... 0 .. 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 . 143 I. INTRODUCTION In 1920 a bill was codified into the General Laws of Oregon that made mandatory the sterilization of certain classes of defectives and degenerates. Oregon was one of thirty states to pass sterilization laws in thename of eugenics, the "science of the improvement of the humanrace by better breeding." By 1931, under the auspices of those laws, 12,145 sterilizations were performedon the nation's feebleminded, insane, criminal, epileptic, alcoholic, diseased, blind, deaf, deformed, and dependentpersons. The nationwide American eugenics movement reached its zenith between 1900 and 1930. It was an outgrowth of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which was applied by eugenists to the human race in the name of social reform. The rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's laws of genetic inheritance in 1900 lent eugenics an air of scientific authority that would give the movement considerable force during the next three decades. The perfection of simple sterilization techniques around the turn of the century gave eugenists the means for putting their theories into practice, and in 1907 the first legislative battle was won as Indiana passed the nation's first eugenic sterilization law. The American eugenics movement is traced in this thesis from its beginnings with Darwin's theories through its association with racist policies to its ultimate decline 2 during the Nazi regime in Germany. In particular, the eugenic movement in Oregon is discussed and related to the larger national campaign for eugenic sterilization. The eugenic movement in Oregon was championed by a woman named Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair. In addition to being an outspoken advocate of sterilization legislation, Owens-Adair is remembered as a vocal advocate of women?s suffrage, temperance, and prohibition. She also holds the distinction of being one of the first pioneers to settle in Oregon, and was the first woman doctor in that state. In 1907, after her retirement from active medical practice, Owens-Adair authored a eugenic sterilization bill, which she introduced into the Oregon legislature. It failed to pass that year, but with undaunted enthusiasm Owens-Adair reintroduced her bill in each successive legislative session until its passage in 1917. As part of her campaign for public acceptance of eugenics, Owens-Adair gave numerous public speeches and lecturesand wrote innumerable articles for the general press. Owens-Adair's uncritical acceptance of eugenic ideals and promotion of human sterilizationas aneffective method of social reform reflects the mood of the nationwide eugenic movement. Eugenics, originally devised asa science, became a reform movement backed not by scientists by by social activists. Owens-Adair fits the characterization 3 of that era's typical eugenist--only peripherally acquainted with the principles of heredity but willing to use the science of genetics as supposed justification for the planned manipulation of the human race. II. THE AMERICAN EUGENIC MOVEMENT 1900-1930 Modern American eugenics, or "the science of the improvement of better breeding," began on another continent with the work of an Englishman named Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911).1 From a family of influentialscientists and businessmen, Galton was trained in medicine and mathematics. When left financially independent through an inheritance at age 22, Galton was free to pursue his interestsin travel and statistics.He was soon elected to the Royal Society and became actively involved in most of Britain's scientific societies. It was Galton's cousin, Charles Darwin(1809-1882), who provided the theories on which Galton would basehis future research.In On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,2 published in 1859, Darwin explained evolution as a struggle for existence betweenmembers of a species that were variously endowed with variabletraits. As individuals won or lost the struggle for survival,the variations they carried were perpetuated or lostfrom the population and evolution proceeded. Ironically, Darwin was reluctant to applyhis evolutionary theory to mankind.In Origin of Species, Darwin avoided discussion of thesubject, fearing that such a focus would detract from themajor emphasis of his work. In an 1857 letter to Russell Wallace,Darwin wrote: 5 "You ask whether I shall discuss 'man' . I think I shall avoid the whole subject, as so surrounded with prejudices; though I fully admit that it is the highestand most inter- esting problem for thenaturalist."3 Indeed, a simple statement in Origin ofSpecies was Darwin's only reference to the problem: "In thedistant future I see open fields for far moreimportant researches. Light will be thrown on the origin of manand hishistory.4 Less cautious than his cousin, Galtonembarked on the research Darwin avoided and drew a directconnection between evolution andman.5Galton set out to show howheredity and variation worked in humans through aseries of broad statistical studies. His first work was a compilation ofthe pedigrees of famous men, published in1869 in HereditaryGenius.6 Galton, no doubt proud of his ownimpressive pedigree, argued that mental ability--outstandingability in this case--is inherited. This premise accepted, itfollowed that heredity rather thanenvironment was the important factor in man's development. Galton went on to define the basics of eugenic doctrine:iraankind is shaped by heredity and by controlling thatheredity, the future of the species can be molded. In addition to showing that mental ability was inherited, Hereditary Geniusincluded some practical suggestions for increasing the"natural ability" of the 6 human race. Galton wrote that humanbreeding and marriage patterns should becontrolled to encourage the fitto marry and reproduce early;the weak and unfit to doso later in life. At the time his bookwas published, Galton's reviewers felt he had over stressedthe

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